All dressed up and lots of places to go

Friday

Have a really great costume for Halloween this year? If you're a kid, you'll get at least two chances to show it off each day this weekend during frightening festive celebrations.

Have a really great costume for Halloween this year? If you're a kid, you'll get at least two chances to show it off each day this weekend during frightening festive celebrations.

As it has in years past, Jacob Stroud Corporation will celebrate the holiday, except that the traditional Halloween parade has been replaced by a Downtown Halloween celebration, which combines a shorter kid's parade with other family and kid-oriented activities.

"The kids will meet at the grassy area beside the courthouse near Sixth Street, walk down Monroe and around the circle in front of the courthouse, and wind up by the courthouse steps, where the mayor will judge the costumes," said Tracy Martin, Jacob Stroud's downtown administrator.

Mayor Charlie Baughman will award prizes in four categories: under 6, age 6 to 10, 10 and older, and family groups with the best theme.Children who participate will also receive gift baskets.

According to Martin, there were a couple of reasons for the change this year. The first had to do with closing Main Street and the resulting impact on businesses there. Although parades are fun to watch, they do make getting around difficult during parade time. The other reason, according to Martin, was the kids.

"We were getting a little too commercial, too, with politicians and all. We wanted to get back to being more family-oriented this year and do more for the kids," Martin said.

The Halloween fun doesn't end there, however. Children and their parents can then go door-to-door to participating businesses on Main Street from 3:30 until 5 p.m. Businesses ready to greet little ones will be identified by distinctive orange signage out front.

"It should be a fun day for the kids, and for those who want to continue, there will be a children's Halloween party at the YMCA from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m.," Martin said.

The little ones should rest easy that evening, so they have some energy left to enjoy Mountainhome's 44th annual Halloween Parade, which runs down Route 390 from Barrett Elementary School and ends at Mountainhome United Methodist Church at the intersection of routes 390 and 191.

"This is our 44th annual, and it's rain or shine. The parade starts at 2, but the children will want to get there earlier, anytime after 12. We have hotdogs and give drinks for the kids that will be in the parade. Line-up is at 1 o'clock, and it takes some doing with all the floats. This year we have some artists from Buck Hills that will judge the floats and marchers. We always have a first, second and third prize and a 'Best of Parade' award," said Helen Brush, one of the parade organizers.

According to Brush, one of the reasons why the parade has lasted so long is that there is lots of community involvement.

"We get the organizations in town, like the Rotary, and the schools. We'll have four sections this year, with floats and marchers. The parade is usually over around 4 p.m.," Brush said.

"We're very nice to everyone that participates," Brush said, laughing and adding that if one of the 20 or so organizations participating with floats has need to get out of there quickly, they are accommodated by staff and allowed to start early.

Wherever Halloween revelers go, the same safety principles apply. Some, like making sure your costume is color-fast before buying, seem trivial but just might just save you some serious bucks on a new set of jeans or shirt if you get caught in the rain — a fair chance in late October in the Poconos.

Similarly, the advice to choose flame-retardant costumes is standard, but people often neglect to check wigs and accessories that are often more flammable than cloth.

Falls are an occupational hazard among costume-wearers, and minding your hems and tying your shoelaces is a great beginning, but masks are often the cause of falls because they inhibit vision. Make-up is safer, says the U.S. Department of Agriculture, but there are dangers there, although they can be easily avoided.

As the recent spate of lead-tainted toys shows, not all that glitters is fit to wear. Check the list of ingredients listed on the sides of the tube of your "Ghastly White" make-up against the "Summary of Color Additives" at the USDA Web site at www.cfsan.fda.gov. If what's on your list is not one that's on their list, don't use it.

Even government-approved colors, however, come with a few cautions. Although make-up is usually hypoallergenic, there is still a possibility of allergic reactions. Do beware of this possibility. Although make-up has to meet federal standards, there's no guarantee that really cool-looking blood might not cause a major eruption. If you or your kids are prone to allergies, try a little dab someplace that doesn't show a few days before you slather it all over your face.

Much better than looking like the blob days after the holiday.

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